In my short young life, I have been blessed with the friendship of a few Finlandians in my life, though my contact with Topi ended shortly after his conscription started (PS. I'm total supporter of conscription in the US, though it would never happen, I think it would be a positive discipline builder for all American youth, comrade). Fins are pleasantly odd, from their affinity to dreadlock hair, to their even greater love for saunas. Thomas Hilland is a Partizan film director who has done loads of advertorial work for companies like Adidas, Nike, Toyota, and even music videos for Röyksopp. He recently completed a documentorial short film called Sweat, which follows the story of Timo, a professional sauna champion. One would think that there is little competition to sitting in a sauna, however at 140 degrees centigrade, it appears that only the Fins can master such scorching temperatures. The trailer is absolutely wonderful to watch, and not just to see a bunch of blonde-locked sweaty lobster-skinned men boil in a tiny little room.  Run over to It's Nice That to read a short interview with Hilland about the film, and check out the trailer for Sweat over at Partizan.

Kingdom of the unreal but also a higher state of being, ultimately free of the limitations of the material world through the agency of science, technology, and imagination.

This video is a near perfect idea, executed with perfection. check out www.neurosonicsaudiomedical.com for more info and credits

The Yeah Yeah Yeah's have been cool since "Maps," check out their latest single below, "Heads will Roll." I do love the DIGIRAATII remix though.

I don't wear Nike... Never have never will. It's not because of their past with child labor (dude, little hands make the best stitches, that's why American soccer balls suck), it's not because I don't play basketball, it's because I wanted to see how far I could go in life without rocking the swoosh. That being said, I've been enticed more and more by the Nike SB line... made just for skateboarders. Ok, I don't skateboard anymore (twas a small bit of my childhood though), but I do enjoy a good flat sole skate shoe (despite my flat feet). as DVS, Etnie, and Vans make fatter uglier shoes, Nike's taking their incredible years of experience to make skate shoes that even I wanna break my no-swoosh rule to rock. Their advertising campaign doesn't suck either. Check out this extended commercial for Nike SB shoes, mainly the new Zoom Air Paul Rodriguez III, which is launched August 8th. Its a pretty sweet shoe... but the comercial spot, featuring Paul Rodriguez, Eric Kosten, and a few other celebrity cameos totally rocks. I believe it. (Via It's Nice That)

Major Lazer just dropped the official video for "Pon de Floor," tapping into the dancehall world for dancers. A tad bit NSFW, this video features a particular style of dancehall that involves grinding the absolute fuck out of your partner. It's a bit absurd, as is the rest of the video, but pretty visual nonetheless. (via - Pitchfork TV) Edit - via nuffin. the video on Pitchfork TV was removed, but it dropped again yesterday on Vimeo.. where I found out it was directed by Eric Wareheim, of Tim & Eric Fame... werd.

Visit BeastieBoys.com and you are greeted with a single Youtube video, embedded below. Adam Yauch, aka MCA, recently discovered he has a bit of cancer in his salivary glands, which is very treatable, but means they'll have to cancel some of the Beastie Boys shows and studio time. That's OK... get better Adam, you'll be back to rock out in no time.

I just came across these awesome HD timelapse videos taken by an Ontario resident, of Niagara Falls and the Peace Bridge. I've driven past the Falls when it was all lit up, same as the Peace Bridge... and never gave either enough time to take in just how beautiful they are bathed in lights. Check out these time lapse videos after the jump, shot with a Nikon D90, and quit yer WNY whining for a second.

Urban vinyl, designer toys, upscale toys, collector figurines... no matter what you call them, these are NOT the toys you buy at Walmart. The BBC has an ongoing series called "Japaorama" where they focus on parts of the Japanese culture... a segment on urban vinyl was bound to happen. If you are still wondering why I collect these things, the clip below sums it up nicely. Via ToyBot Studios

I absolutely love Donnie Darko. Richard Kelly is an awesome director, and if we can forgive him for Southland Tales, then I'm sure that The Box is going to be awesome. Based on a short story from Richard Matheson, The Box materialized once as a Twilight Zone episode (called Button Button), but in Kelly's hand will be turned into a dark story of choice. Comes out October 10th, 2009...

Warner Bros - Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger, delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world; someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

via Mishka Bloglin

Dating Grumpybear led me to realize how destructive and life-sucking World of Warcraft can be. I don't have anything against that game, just something against the people that ignore everything around them to play it. This poor kid... he'll live.